2025 Tournament Season Concludes

 2025 was one of my best years competing in recent history.  I had four top 10 finishes including one victory!  I scored four under par rounds and in two of those I shot lower than my age!

Made my Tenth Career Ace!

 I made my tenth hole in one of my career at Riverplace CC on Thursday, 10/30/25.  I had just eagled the par 4, 11th hole, then followed it up with an ace on the par 3, 12th.

Career Aces

1975   Morris Williams GC   Austin, TX

1982   Shady Oaks CC   Fort Worth, TX

1988   Amelia Island Golf Club   Amelia Island, FL

2005   High Meadow Ranch GC   Magnolia, TX   (Competition)

2011   Dominion Country Club   San Antonio, TX   (Competition)

2018   Silverhorn Golf Club   San Antonio, TX   (Competition)

2019   Riverplace CC   Austin, TX

2023   Riverplace CC   Austin, TX

2024   Riverplace CC   Austin, TX

2025   Riverplace CC   Austin, TX

I have one unofficial ace at Butler Pitch and Putt (1977) which is a par 3 course in Austin.

Cold Weather Golf Tip

Cold weather really has a negative effect on the distance your golf ball flies.  Follow these tips to make the correct adjustments. 

My Short Experience in Golf Course Architecture

When I was in high school I was always drawing golf course layouts.  I enjoyed envisioning what my layouts might look like in real life.  So much so that I was going to choose that as my career.  I took architectural drafting in high school and did show some potential in that area as well.  I was an average student in high school and never really applied myself to studying.  I was on the golf team and spent my time practicing and playing.  When it came time to sit down with the high school counselor and learn what it took to get in the school of architecture I could see it would take seven years of college and lots of math!   

So I changed career paths and decided on General Business…boring!  I wasn’t a great college student so ended up leaving school and worked for my dad for a handful of years before then getting in the golf business.  I made the correct choice as I really enjoyed my career.  I worked at some of most famous clubs and resorts and some of the most respected professionals in the nation!  

My longest stint as a head golf professional was at the TPC at The Woodlands.  I was there from 1988-2001 and was host professional to 14 PGA TOUR events.  In 1998, we were going to do a greens restoration and hired Houston architect Carlton Gipson to complete the job.  Carlton had several original designs and restoration projects in the Houston area.  It was a great learning experience to see how greens are constructed and shaped.  I would go on the course with Carlton on a regular basis and he thoroughly explained the process.  For the most part the greens were just being returned to their original design and size.  But one day Carlton indicated to me he would like to do something different to the par 3, 14th hole.  It was a very wide green in a horizontal hourglass shape surrounded by 4 bunkers.  The green itself was fairly flat.  If the hole location was left or right it made for a difficult shot with a long iron.  The water wasn’t really more than a visual issue.

He asked my opinion on changing the shape of the green.  This is where my short stint in golf course architecture began.  I told him it would be interesting if the water was more in play.  I thought it would be cool to have a sort of bowl shape in the middle so a hole location could be near the water at the front of the green.  If you hit a shot long to avoid the water, you would have a fast putt coming down the hill.  In addition if the green was closer to the water you could lose the right bunker and have another great hole location over the water.  As he was listening to my idea I could tell it intrigued him.  So long story short, he used my idea!  

I don’t have an actual picture of the finished green but this is from the yardage book.  So here it is 25 years later and the same green exists.  Although the course is no longer a TPC it does host the Insperity Invitational on the PGA TOUR Champions.

Commit to your Target

I came across this picture from Golf Digest and it reminded me of a statement I heard years ago…”give life to your target”.

In this photo Annika Sorenstam is hitting pitch shots to her caddy.  She was focused on hitting to a specific target and distance.  By hitting to her caddy, she was in essence giving the target life.  I think doing this really increases your focus as you don’t want your caddy to be running all over the place.  It also helps one improve their visualization skills as you can imagine you are hitting to your friend or coach.

From 1981-1984 I was an assistant golf professional at Shady Oaks Country Club in Fort Worth.  Ben Hogan was a member there and we crossed paths on a daily basis.  After working at his office at the Ben Hogan Company all morning he would then go to lunch at Shady Oaks.  After lunch he would come through the golf shop and these were his exact words to me…”Sonny, you got a shag boy for me today?”

Mr. Hogan would take his shag bag full of balls and my cart attendant then head to the Little 9.  The Little 9 was a short course at Shady Oaks with eight par 3’s and one par 4.  The par 4 hole fairway was a perfect place to practice and Mr. Hogan would only hit balls into a right to left wind.  He would position my attendant appropriately and begin with short irons progressing to driver.  By hitting to my attendant he was giving the target life.  But, Mr. Hogan frowned upon the attendant catching the ball, he wanted to see it land.  Mr. Hogan might be out there for 2 hours or more practicing.  

One of the stories I like to tell is one day after a long practice session my attendant came in the shop and pulled his shirt up to his chest.  There were two huge welts on his chest and I asked what happened?  He said he had lost the ball in the sun and Mr. Hogan pegged him with a 7 iron shot, then, before he could get up, he hit him again😂😂😂!  On days I didn’t have a “shag boy” Mr. Hogan would take one club and hit shots as he walked the course.  

On occasion he would practice on the range and he always signed a ticket for the range balls he hit!

That’s me in 1982!  Anyway, the point is, hitting practice balls to a live target is good for your focus.  This is pretty much impossible to do now days but I recommend to use your imagination as you practice.  I promise you will see increased concentration and visualization of your target.

I also used to practice on the Little 9 and I would hit from the par 4 fairway to an area short of one of the par 3 greens.  It was a secluded green surrounded by trees and I had to really focus on my aim.  I had my own shag balls but didn’t have use of a shag boy.  I would hit 75-80 balls then go pick them up.  It’s amazing when you know you have to pick them up your concentration goes way up.  Since Shady Oaks was not a busy club I could hit 200-300 balls per day.  There is no doubt these focused practice sessions helped me win the 1982 Metro Chapter Assistants Championship and win the Player of the Year award!

From this experience I recommend when you practice try to focus on a narrow part of the range.  In other words try to find an imaginary grid between target flags/poles that is no more than 20 yards wide and focus on hitting every club in this grid.

The Polar Vortex Created some Snow Golf in Austin, TX

This is what a bored golf pro does when there is snow on the ground in Austin, TX.  The temperature has been under 32 degrees for 3 days and I had to get outside even though it was only 15 degrees.

Mentors which Shaped my Teaching and Playing Career

I have been so fortunate to be able to play this game since I was 11 years old!  In that time, I have had many mentors which in the beginning taught me the fundamentals of the game and in later years taught me how to really play the game of golf.  I was hooked from the very first round I played.  I couldnt get enough golf and I read every golf magazine.  I played as often as I could at Butler Pitch and Putt, Hancock GC and Lions Muny all through my junior golf years.  Little did I know at that time it would fill my entire career starting at age 16 to now.

In the beginning I attended the junior golf camp at Lions Muny and learned from two Austin staples...Joe Balander and Lloyd Morrison both outstanding PGA professionals.  I mostly learned the basics which only made me love the game more as I improved.  When I turned 16, I got my first job in the golf business as a cart attendent at Lost Creek Country Club under then head professional and former PGA TOUR player, Terry Dill.  He helped me with my game initially for about 4 years.  There will be more to this particular story as we reconnected later in life and he helped me play the best golf I have played.

In 1978 I got my first job as assistant golf professional at Horseshoe Bay Resort and Country Club.  Head professioanl Bob Putt was my first mentor in teaching me how to run a really great golf operation.  His influence definitely helped me obtain some of the positions I held in golf.  In addition, it was the first opportunity I had to teach the game.  I had taken a few lessons from Bob in the mid 1970's as my dad had joined as a member at HSB.  Bob  helped me with my game and also, once I was on his staff, I learned a great deal about how to teach the game.  I was so nervous when I gave my first lesson but I loved the feeling of helping someone get better at golf.  As time went on I got much more confident in my ability to communicate with students.  I can't thank Bob enough for giving me my professional start in the golf business!  Thanks to Bob, I passed my PGA Playing Ability test at legendary Pecan Valley Golf Club (host to 1968 PGA Championship) in San Antonio on my first attempt.

In 1981 I accepted the assistant professional position at Shady Oaks County Club in Fort Worth, TX.  This is the club Ben Hogan retired to and I was fortunate to meet him.  Art Hall was the head professional and was a great player and teacher as well.  Art and Mr. Hogan played quite a bit of golf together in the early 1960's after the club opened.  I learned a great deal from Art about Mr. Hogan's golf swing theories.  This is where I met one of my mentors who probably watched me hit more golf balls than all the others combined.  His name was Raymond Gafford.  Raymond retired from the head professional position at Ridglea Country Club (Fort Worth) in 1976.  He served there from 1937-1950, then served as head professional at Northwood Club in Dallas from 1950-54, then he returned back to Ridglea in 1954.  He was elected to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 1983.  Many books about Texas golf will make mention of Raymond.  There were many matches played in Fort Worth between Raymond, Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson and many other fine players including reknowned gambler Titanic Thompson. 

Raymond putting during the Colonial 

Raymond at Ridglea CC in 1941

Raymond should have won the 1952 Colonial after shooting rounds of 68, 68, 69 and then a final round 80 handed the tournament to Ben Hogan.  Ben told Raymond's wife after the event that Raymond should have won.  Raymond lost his rythym after a poor chip shot early in the round and never got it back.

Raymond is second from the left after qualifying for the 1946 U.S. Open
He played in 14 U.S. Opens, 5 PGA's and 2 Masters

Jimmy Nichols, Raymond Gafford, Bob Hope, Byron Nelson
playing a match at Rivercrest CC in Fort Worth

Raymond would spend time at Shady Oaks practicing and we would go to the "Little Nine" at Shady Oaks to hit balls.  The Little Nine was a 9 hole par 3 course at Shady Oaks and Mr. Hogan would practice there too.  Raymond would watch me hit balls and we talked about everything.  I learned so much from him about teaching and playing the game, his experiences in the game and about life. In 1982, I won the biggest tournanment I had competed to that date, the NTPGA Metro Chapter Assistants Championship in Dallas.  I left Shady Oaks in 1984 to accept the assistant professional position at Ridglea CC.  It was here that Raymond and I played a lot of golf together along with the other professionals and members at Ridglea. It was a great experience I won't forget.  I teach some of the same things I learned from Raymond to my students and I am proud to continue talking about his legacy since he passed away in 1990.

Fast forwarding to 2004, I had an opportunity to finally try and play the game full time.  I was turning 50 in 2005 and wanted to give the Senior Tour a try.  Terry Dill enters the picture again.  Remember we first met at Lost Creek in 1972 when I was one of his first employees at Lost Creek.  He found out I was on this mission and he contacted me to help again.  I could not have been more thrilled.  Terry played the PGA TOUR for ten years and competed in 7 U.S.Opens, 2 PGA's and 1 Masters.  I knew his experience would be invaluable to me.  Terry played golf for the University of Texas in the early 1960's.

Terry is second from the left
He was the Southwest Conference Champion in 1960

He played the PGA TOUR from 1962-1972 before leaving to build Lost Creek Country Club. 

Terry competing in the 1968 Bing Crosby Pro Am

Terry putting in the 1970 Dow Jones Open

Terry driving in the 1966 Masters

In 1981 the Senior TOUR was established and Terry competed through the 1990's winning once and losing a playoff to finish second in another.

Perfect Impact for Terry Dill

Terry driving in the 2001 Countrywide

2001 Utah Showdown

After competing on the US Senior Tour, Terry qualified for the European Senior Tour 2006 and was the oldest rookie on that tour.  

With Terry's help, I played some of the best golf I ever played from 2005-2008.  I won the Southern Texas PGA Senior Championship in 2006 along with many other events over a 4 year period.  Our time spent together was precise.  I learned so much from Terry about teaching and playing as well as life.  He shared with me all of his experiences with the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Ben Hogan, Harvey Penick, Jackie Burke and so many others.  Terry taught me simple principles about the set up and swing which I teach today.  He also shared with me some short game techniques which I have been successful sharing with my students.

My current mentor is Brech Spradley, Director of Instruction at the Barton Creek Golf Academy.  In 2012, Brech provided me the opportunity I had been waiting for a long time and that was the chance to be a full time instructor.  Brech is recognized as one of the top instructors not only in Texas but the nation as well.  His lesson book is filled with some of the most elite junior, college and amateur players in the state.  I have listened and watched him work with many of these players.  In addition I have assisted him with many golf schools and have learned so much about teaching.  

The bottomline is I have been so lucky to not only meet these gentlemen I just introduced to you, but so many others which helped me as well.  Just as I have had many mentors, these gentlmen did too.  The beauty of golf is we all share information which has been handed down.  

Be sure and click on the "My Golf Experiences" and "Competitive Background" tabs to get the whole story of my life in golf.

Always Trying to get Better!

As a PGA golf professional I strive to create passionate students and life long golfers.  My job is to help players reach their goals and have fun doing it!  I just completed PGA online training and received my Certificates of Achievement in both ADM (American Develop Model) and Becoming the PGA Modern Coach.  Both of these courses go into detail how to train younger golfers and develop them into life long players.  It's important to the game to keep everyone in the sport and I look forward to utilizing my new knowledge in this endeavor.

Long Drive Competition between John Daly and Jim Dent (1993)

/Long Drive Competition between John Daly and Jim Dent

Click on the link above to watch.

In 1993, while serving as head golf professional at the TPC at The Woodlands and host professional to the Shell Houston Open, John Daly and Jim Dent participated in a Long Drive Competition held on Tuesday of tournament week.

It was unheard of how far John Daly could hit the ball!  I witnessed this event which was conducted on the par 4, tenth hole.  What was amazing, and you can't really see on this video, is how Daly was hitting his ball high and over the tall pine trees at the dogleg and Dent was hitting a hook around them.  

Enjoy watching!

 

The 1995 Shell Houston Open was Special

It was this week (April 24-30, 1995) in which Payne Stewart won the Shell Houston Open at the TPC at The Woodlands (The Woodlands, Texas).  I was the host professional for this event from 1989 through 2001 and now, knowing the fate of Payne, it makes this a special event to reflect on 25 years later.

Payne Stewart pictured with his long time caddy Michael Hicks

Payne won on the first playoff hole over Scott Hoch.  This was Payne's eighth of his eleven PGA TOUR titles including the 1999 U.S. Open.  If there was one golf swing I would watch over the years as host professional it was Payne Stewart.  Just the rhythm and fluidity of his swing was beautiful.  For weeks after the event, I seemed to play my best golf feeling like I was emulating his action.

Another reason this event is special is I qualified to compete that year and again in 1999.  From 1989 through 1996 the Southern Texas PGA Section hosted a qualifier for section members and four professionals would advance to compete in the Shell Houston Open.  I was fortunate to advance in 1995 as I won in a playoff for the 4th spot.  Beginning in 1997, the PGA TOUR changed the number of qualifiers from four down to two.  So to qualify in 1999 was very exciting and difficult.

In addition to competing in the tournament, this was also my busiest work week of the year as we would achieve almost 50% of our annual retail sales in one week.  So even though I missed the cut with a scores of 75-79 I was fairly satisfied with my play.  In 1999 I scored rounds of 79-80 and I was physically tired due to the number of hours worked that week and the week prior.  The event had grown since 1995 and there was so much more to do.  Fortunately I had a great staff and they did super job of covering for me while I would exit for 5 hours to go compete.

I'll never forget the nerves I felt on the first tee in 1995.  The crowds were large and I had lots of friends and staff there to encourage me.  I remember being on the putting green and walking between the ropes to the first tee.  As I approached the tee my heart rate was hard to control.  When the starter announced my name and the crowd gave me a welcoming applause I couldn't even feel my feet or the club in my hands.  The first tee shot was down the middle and from that point on it wasn't near as tense.  In the second round I almost holed my second shot for an eagle on the difficult 18th hole and the roar from the crowd was unbelievable!

Hard to believe it was 25 years ago but I will never forget my experience of competing in the Shell Houston Open or my tenure as head professional at the TPC at the Woodlands.

Following are a few pictures from 1995.

On the 14th tee with my friend and caddy for the week, Rene Nino

The official scoresheet from 1995

ABC televised the event in 1995 and I snagged a great souvenir

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Be Safe on the Golf Course with your Children

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT:

I have noticed during the last few days more parents bringing their young children to the golf course.  This is due to more parents working from home and school not being in session. Yay!!  It is a great way to spend quality time with your kids away from the computer.  With the COVID 19 shelter in place order, you have to get out for fresh air and most golf courses are remaining open.

BUT, I would like to provide a couple of simple rules to make this time safe for all.

First, if only one parent is present in the golf cart, please take the key from the cart with you when you step away to hit a shot or look for a ball.  It only takes a second for your child to either slip and fall or just be curious and step on the accelerator in the cart.  The golf cart would become a run away train and could crash into a tree, roll over on a slope, speed down a ravine or into a lake.  This would be catastrophic and cause serious injury.  This can be avoided by simply removing the key and making sure the parking brake is set.

Second, if you are looking for your golf ball in high grass or in a bluebonnet patch, remember this is natural habitat for snakes.  Rattlesnake sightings are happening almost daily on central Texas golf courses.  Now is not the time to go on an Easter Egg hunt looking for a $2 golf ball.  Besides rattlesnakes, there are copperheads and coral snakes hiding out of sight.

The bottom line is have fun with your kids on the course.  Introduce them to this great game, but do it safely by adhering to these simple rules.

Thank you!

Golf Course Review: Brackenridge Park GC

I recently played Brackenridge Park in San Antonio, TX, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  There is so much golf history here.  The course was designed by famous architect, A.W. Tillinghast and opened in 1916.  It is one of the oldest courses in Texas.

The Texas Open was played here from 1922-1959 and is the third oldest event on the PGA TOUR.  Typical of the older style courses, it is not long, but the fairways are narrow bordered by beautiful oak and pecan trees.

 Also, you will find six greens are rectangular in shape which is another trait found on courses of this era.

The course was in excellent condition and the greens rolled fast and true.  The fairways and tees were all overseeded which made for a green golf course in January.

The Texas Golf Hall of Fame is now located in the club house so be sure you take a stroll through the building to view the artifacts.

If in San Antonio, this is a must play!  Soak up some history and enjoy this gem of a course.

Golf Course Review: Blue Lake Golf Club

Although I have played this jewel many times, I always forget how much fun it is!  Blue Lake Golf Club is a nine hole golf course located near Horseshoe Bay, TX.  It has been ranked by the Dallas Morning News as one of the Top 10 Nine Hole Golf Courses in Texas.  It is a beautiful course with great views of the hill country and Lake LBJ.

It was designed by golf course architect, Joe Finger, and opened in 1962.  There are five, par 3's, three, par 4's and one par 5.  My favorite holes are the par 3, 6th, 7th and 8th holes all fairly long and playing downhill.

Wildlife is abundant here, just watch where you step.

It's an easy one hour drive from Austin and it is worth the trip.  I would recommend coming in the spring when the bluebonnets are in full bloom.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Proud of my Collegiate Golfers!

It's always fun to see my junior golfers I work with grow up and graduate to college golf.  It's a bigger stage for them and they not only deal with that, but also the demands of school work.  It's a balance and I am proud of them for just getting out there and competing whether they win or lose.

But, I am extremely proud when they do well!!

This is my team of golfers I worked with during their high school years and have now moved on to play golf at the collegiate level.

Sarah Rovenstine-Vandergrift High School (All District and had Top 10 finishes each year in HS)
Attended Southern Nazarene University   Graduated 2018

Abby Cloud-Dripping Springs High School
Attending Schreiner University, Kerrville, TX

Michael Gonzales-Lockhart High School (4 year Letterman)
Attending LeTourneau University, Longview, TX

Arturo Hernandez-Cedar Creek High School (3 Time All District First Team, Voted Team MVP)
Attending Arcadia University, Glenside, PA

Competed in seven events and has four top 5 finishes with a low score of 71.

Chandler Roberts, Hays Consolidated High School
Attending Fort Hays State after two years at Hesston College, both in KS

Matt Shuler-Eagle Pass High School

Attending Westmont University, Santa Barbara, CA

Zach Slayton, Home School (won numerous events of note during his high school career)

Attending Colorado Christian University, Lakewood, CO

Competed in five events this year and has a scoring average of 73.8 and a tournament low round of 67.

Congratulations to all of these collegiate golfers as they progress with their game.  They all have wonderful work ethics and I know they will all be successful in whatever career path they choose!